The test will be conducted at the Red Cloud Range Oct. 7-9, with a media day demonstration on Oct. 10. Ten vehicles will be assessed, three of which are designed solely to carry equipment, while the remaining seven can be armed and fired remotely.

For armed robots, “Desired AUGV capabilities also call for the robot to engage targets out to 800 meters,” notes an Army press release.

For the transport UGV, the requirements are carrying 1,000 pounds (equivalent to what a nine-man squad carries on a 72-hour mission), traveling at 4 kilometers per hour for 32 kilometers, with burst speeds of 38 kilometers per hour, and capable of climbing slopes of up to 30 percent grade and descending on 60 percent grade.